dreamlikenewyork | "Had it been another day, I might have looked the other way..."

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"Had it been another day, I might have looked the other way..."

Who? Harry Matheson and Ainsley Ashwood (with Skylar Dawson, Logan Hayes, and Nick Matheson)
What? Pleasure to meet you
When? Sunday afternoon
Where? One of many theaters on Broadway

It was a Sunday afternoon, which meant that Ainsley wasn't at school, but Skylar was working his ass off in preparation for the opening of Dirty Dancing. As was his BFF duty, Ainsley was hanging around the theater watching Sky practice with Logan, the choreographer for the show. After practice, they would probably go grab dinner together, but for now, Ainsley was content to watch his best friend learning all the necessary moves for his role. It was really cool for him to get to see Sky succeeding at something that meant so much to him, and he knew that it was that much more important to him with his dad being ill.

He was surprised to see two people coming into the theater that he didn't know. He recognized the older guy as Nick Matheson. He'd seen him when he was stopping by to see Ange at work, because Nick was an interpreter for the NYPD, but he didn't know him personally. The other guy with him was younger... probably about Ainsley's age, but they had a similar look about them. Once Sky had finished running the routine he was working on, Logan waved a greeting to Nick, who made his way over to chat to Logan, letting the younger guy know that he could take a seat if he wanted. Ainsley gave him a big grin. "You can sit next to me if you want," he said, patting the seat beside him. "I'm Ainsley."

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Harry was feeling more than fragile right now. He had been crying his eyes out for about three days straight, and Nick had told him in a big brotherly way that he looked hungover. It would have been funny if Harry wasn't completely heartbroken. He hadn't touched a drop of alcohol in his life. He hadn't tried smoking, or pot either. He had been ever aware that he had to stay in top fitness for his dancing, or no professional dance school would give him a second glance. Though, he had to admit it was tempting right now because everyone always seemed to go and get drunk whenever they broke up with their lovers. There must be something good about it if that was the first thing adults did when the going got tough.

He didn't really want to be here, though he was starstruck. He was in a Broadway theatre and not to see a show, and he was going to meet the choreographer of Dirty Dancing that would be starting just after Christmas. Harry operated in a lot of online dance circles, and he had been hearing amazing things about Kyan, the guy who was playing Johnny Castle. Nick was here to see about private dance lessons with Logan until he could locate a dance study who could take someone as skilled as Harry and not constrict a lot of the stuff he already knew by changing his style. Anyone could go to a dance class, but sometimes dance teachers could stifle or enforce their own style onto their dancers. Harry was still like a fish out of water. He was glad he had come to New York to stay with Nick and glad to be out of Jacksonville with the bullying he was copping from the football team. But it was still a lot to adjust to. There was hesitation when he looked at Ainsley and then went to sit beside him. "I'm Harry," he introduced himself quietly. "Do you work here?"

Ainsley kind of felt for the other guy. He couldn't explain it, but he looked tired and a little worn down right now, and Ainsley kind of wanted to give him a hug. Instead, he gave him a firm and friendly handshake. "It's nice to meet you, Harry," he said with a nod of his head. Despite looking tired, Harry was really good-looking, and had the grace of a dancer as he moved, something that Ainsley was all too familiar with being friends with Skylar. "No, I don't work here," he said with a shrug. "Skylar up there..." He pointed to the other boy. "Is my best friend, and he's in the cast of Dirty Dancing, so I'm here to support him before I go back to school tomorrow. First day back after the holidays is always a little more rough, but I haven't seen a few of my friends, so it'll be good to get back."

He glanced over where Nick was talking to Logan, and then looked back at Harry. "Is Nick your brother? He works with my sister sometimes. She's a police detective. I know who Nick is, but I don't really know him well. My sister says he's a great guy, though. Are you here visiting him for the holiday?" Ainsley wasn't trying to be nosy. He was just genuinely a friendly kid who liked to make new friends, and Harry looked like maybe he could use a friend or two.

Harry liked jewellery. Not the gaudy blingy type of stuff, but he wore silver rings, leather and silver bracelets, a cuff on one wrist, and on the other braided friendship bracelets up his arms that his friends shared with him. He also generally always wore his aquamarine pendant on a leather band around his neck that symbolised a connection to the sea, and he had both ears pierced with diamond studs in them. Maybe he really was 'too gay', but this was who he was. The bracelets made a soft chinking sound when Ainsley shook his hand firmly. He looked up to the stage and Skylar was there with a really tall guy who was incredibly good looking. He gave Skylar, the younger guy, a friendly nudge and ruffled his hair. That had to be Kyan. He looked perfect for Johnny Castle. He nodded in acknowledgement. It had to be cool having a best friend tied up in this stuff. Harry's own best friend was back home in Florida, pissed off at him for leaving to come to New York.

"Nick's my big brother, yeah. I've just come to stay with him for awhile..." Harry being here wasn't a permanent arrangement yet. He wanted it to be. He didn't want to go back there where all the popular jocks thought he was too faggy and had to see Tommy in school every day knowing he hated him. It was a trial period, according to Nick and parents, though. But Nick had just signed for a new huge apartment, and it meant Tommy could have his own room and everything. He was close to amazing places like Broadway and dance opportunities. He had gotten over the initial urge to throw in dance to make Tommy happy. He couldn't do that, it was part of him, and he was more determined than eve to succeed with it. It was just all new, and he was nervous and scared. "He is a great guy. He's the best big brother a guy could ever want. He's been away so long, it's nice to have more time with him."

Ainsley wasn't privy to Harry's thoughts, but he kind of was thinking that he liked how Harry was dressed and how he presented himself. He was undoubtedly gay, but Ainsley liked that. He liked guys who were a little more on the effeminate side, always had, and Harry really fit the bill. He was trying not to let himself jump the gun here or think too far into things, but Harry was cute, and had excellent taste in clothing and jewelry. It was all Ainsley could do to keep from staring at him, because the other guy definitely had his attention, without a doubt. He was hot, but more than that, he had a nice speaking voice... which was a huge thing for someone like Ainsley who genuinely loved to just sit and chat.

"That's kind of cool," Ainsley replied. "I live with my big sister. My parents are awesome, but they moved upstate, and I hate upstate. I wanted to stay in the City, so we worked out a compromise. I have to behave and not give my sister any heart attacks, and she gives me a place to stay and helps me when I need her help. She's a good sister. What made you decide to live with your brother? If you don't mind my asking. If it's personal, you don't have to tell me."

Harry became aware then that Logan was looking over at him while he spoke to Nick. He felt self-conscious, which was probably an odd trait for him to have considering he was an actual award-winning dancer. He had national titles in ballroom and state titles in ballet. His nationals competition for ballet was in the coming weeks and he would fly to LA for those. But when he was dancing, he was perfectly at ease, it didn't matter how many people watched him. When he was just Harry, and especially feeling fragile after the tough break-up, he felt self-conscious. There was no way this Broadway choreographer was going to give him lessons. Nick had a screw loose. Logan was probably up there right now telling him just that. Harry didn't like wasting their time.

"I've never lived in a big city. Near them, but not in them. It's a bit crazy." And also not wet enough. Harry was wondering how he would go long-term away from the beach. That could ultimately be what didn't work, but Nick had said there were beaches in driving distance of here. Hopefully they weren't too bad. "Just... needed a change of scenery, really. I have three big sisters at home, so that's kind of nuts too. New York has great opportunities and all that."

"I've always lived in New York," Ainsley said with a shrug. "I know it can be kind of overwhelming when you're not used to it, but it's sort of all I've ever known. When I lived upstate with my parents for a short while before I came back to live with my sister, it was so weird to me. I think it's kind of all in what you're used to. Where are you from originally?" That would probably make a big difference, too in how he would adjust to the City. Ainsley found himself really hoping that Harry would like it in New York so that he could stay and there was a better chance that they might actually see each other around and get to know each other better. Maybe it was jumping the gun a little, but there was definitely a serious case of butterflies going on in his stomach.

"So it's you, Nick, and three girls?" Ainsley asked, trying to wrap his mind around that. "That's a big family. That must have been really cool growing up... even if maybe all the big sisters were a little overwhelming. In our family, it's just me and Ange, and there's a big gap between us. My parents wanted another kid, but I guess they had all but given up hope thinking they weren't going to be able to have another. I was sort of a huge surprise." He paused, looking Harry over for just a moment. "You're a dancer, aren't you?" he asked. "New York's an amazing place for dancers, if that's the kind of opportunity you're looking for."

"Florida. Jacksonville. I've never lived anywhere else. Nicky went overseas for college, but I've always just been there. My sisters haven't left home yet. My eldest sister is in college pretty close to us so it's cheaper for her to stay there. Then my next oldest sister doesn't want to go to college. She's a surfing instructor and lifeguard. Then my other sister is still in high school. We're all pretty different. Which is okay. We don't hate each other or anything like some brothers and sisters who are different do," Harry said just as Nick was gesturing to him and asking him to tell Logan what dance titles he had won. Nick knew, but Nick wouldn't do the talking for him so Harry listed off the ones he had won in the last two years and explained he had nationals in about a week and a half. Then Nick went back to talking to Logan and Harry was left blushing.

He nodded and shifted in his seat a little. "I'm the youngest. Our family is huge on both my folks' side. My mom's Italian and my dad's Irish. Mom has seven brothers and sisters, Dad has eight. They all have kids of their own too. It's pretty mental. There's ten years between Nicky and me, but he's always been my bestest friend. I want to be successful like him when I grow up. Or grow up more. I don't feel much like a kid anymore. He's amazing, though. I hope I don't cramp his style being here." He nodded and shrugged. "Sure, I dance. I'm probably nowhere near good enough as New York dancers, though. All the places here, they're dream places for dancers, but only a small percentage will ever make it here."

"Whoa!" Ainsley responded... to both the news that Harry was from Florida, and the list of his awards for dancing. His eyes were wide and round. "New York must be really freaking cold if you're used to Florida. How old are you?" His mom had always told him that was a rude question, but Harry had to be somewhere near his age, and most people his age weren't exactly trying to appear to be younger than they were. "Your siblings all sound really cool." He shook his head just a little. "Wow. You must be an amazing dancer if you won all those awards. How long have you been dancing for? You must be amazing, dude. I'd love to see you dance sometime." Was that weird to say? He really hoped not. The last thing he wanted was to creep the poor guy out when he was already dealing with moving to a new place that was totally unlike anything he was used to.

"That's really cool. So you have lots of cousins, too? That's really cool that you guys are so close, even with the age gap. Me and Ange are the same way. She knows me better than anybody. Granted, sometimes, we butt heads a little because she's really protective of me, but I think it's good on the other hand to know my big sister loves me enough to get upset when she's worried about me." He nodded, understanding what Harry was saying, but he had to point out, "Dude, you've won a lot of awards. You could end up getting into a really great dance school if you wanted to. And if your brother knows Logan, that's a connection to tons of dance troupes and stuff around the City and the world. He went on Angel Shaw's world tour with him."

Harry nodded. He couldn't deny feeling the cold when he was used to warmer climates. "A little. It doesn't seem crazy cold yet, though. Plus, I've spent Christmases in Ireland, which can get really cold. I'm 15..." He didn't really want to add 'just'. It had only been his birthday about a month ago. He was sort of stuck in that not really a kid, not really an adult phase. It was awkward, and it was hurting right now. This past week or so, he was feeling less and less like a kid. Nick had told him everyone experience heartbreak, but it still felt like he was the only person in the world going through it because it did hurt so fucking much. "I don't know. I've just done it for so long now. I first enrolled in ballet when I was nearly 5. Apparently I first just sort of hung around the edges hanging upside down on the bars. I was the only boy in the class. It was going to be Little League, but I threw a huge tantrum and cried like I was being murdered when they told me."

He nodded. "Loads. Like, thirty six cousins was the last count, I think. One of my cousins already lives here with her little boy, so that's going to be way cool. He's an awesome little dude. Your sister sounds like Nicky. He sort of intercepts when he knows I'm in a bad mood. It's nice. Not to say my sisters don't, it's just that the problems I have aren't really things like having a period or a bad hair day." He looked up at the stage and around the theatre. "Yeah, I don't know. I don't want to assume because there are many talented people out there. I know Angel. We met him on his honeymoon. Nicky's best friend, Maggie, her sister is Angel's wife. Ballet is what I want to do, so the field is narrowed even more. What do you want to do after school?"

"It's actually usually colder by now. I hope this means a mild winter, but if it doesn't, it's all good, too. Have you ever been skiing or snowboarding? There's lots of really good places to go up here if you're into it. Christmases in Ireland, huh? That's really cool. I've only been overseas a couple of times. Once to England and once to Spain. Spain was in the summer for the beaches with my parents, and England was a school trip, but they were both amazing. I love the history in Europe. Do you guys go to Italy a lot, too?" He gave Harry a grin. "I just turned 16 about a month ago. Are you going to be going to school around here?" He found himself really hoping that Harry was going to his school, but there were tons of schools in the City and it could truly be anywhere. "So never been big fan of sports, I take it?" Ainsley replied to that with a grin. "I played soccer as a little kid, but when I got a little older, I wasn't really into it. I didn't like how most of the coaches and parents seemed to take it so seriously when most of the kids just wanted to have fun. My parents weren't that way, but it wasn't as much fun when coaches and stuff were looking at it that way. Besides, I always liked other stuff better than sports anyway. I only played because my parents thought it was important for kids to have a team environment at a young age. I honestly think it was more that I was a little on the rambunctious side as a little guy, and they hoped it would help me channel some of my energy so I'd be ready for bed when I came home," he added with a grin. "I like debate team better. Which is probably really nerdy, but I love it. It's really cool to see both sides of an issue, and to have to back yourself up with facts and research. But it's awesome that you found something you loved doing at such a young age. That must be pretty awesome for you."

Ainsley's eyes went wide at that. It was a huge family, but that sounded really cool. "Are a lot of them in Florida, or are they in Ireland and Italy, too? How old is your cousin's little boy? I love little kids. I'm kind of going to be an uncle sort of. My sister's a surrogate for Angel's brother and his husband, and they want us to be involved in the baby's life... Kind of like an honorary uncle. I'm super excited. I think it's cool that you're close to Nick even though he's a lot older. I think a lot of people don't really realize how close of a relationship you can have with a sibling when there's a huge age gap, but it's actually a pretty special thing to have. Ballet looks really hard. It's so precise. You must practice all the time to go to all those competitions." He grinned at that question, because he was excited about his future after school. "Me? I wanna be a cop like my dad and granddad and my sister. Our whole family pretty much consists of cops... Except Mom. She's an attorney."

Harry was watching Ainsley as he spoke, and then couldn't help but laugh. Something he hadn't felt like doing in days. "You say awesome a lot," he told him. He also talked fast, so it was probably that he was just an enthusiastic conversationalist and didn't realise it. He seemed to have a lot of energy Harry was just really lacking right now. He was hurt and sad, and he was missing Tommy. Even if Tommy hurt him, they had been close for months now and there was a gaping loss in Harry's life he had to adjust to. Being away from what had happened was helping, but it was all so new to him. "We travel a lot. Nicky travels most of all because of his work. He was away for six months this year, which was hard. Our family are all over the place here. We live in Florida because Mom's an art professor at a college there. But I love Florida. We live on the beach and I wasn't sure I'd ever live anywhere else, but I'm here now and it seems okay so far. Nicky's bought a new apartment, so I'll have my own room and he's figuring school stuff out with my folks. But yeah, really, really not a sports fan. I don't ski or anything like that because if I injure myself, I could destroy my dancing career. I surf and scuba dive sometimes, but that's about it. That's more a hobby than a sport because I just like the water."

"Beau and Austin?" Harry nodded at this. He hadn't met them yet, but he did know of them via Nick. It was after Rose's miscarriage that she and Angel had been in Florida for their honeymoon and they came to visit. "Benny's three. He's a little guy, and he's adorable. Pretty smart for his age too. I dance about four hours a day after school, three or four times a week, depending on what competitions are coming up. Then I, well... I did in my old school take advanced dance classes at school too and represented my school team. One of my Dad's cousins... second cousin maybe... is a cop here in the city. He's a pretty cool dude. I couldn't do a job like that. I'm not a fan of blood."

Ainsley couldn’t help the sheepish grin on his face at that. He tended to get really excited talking about things that he enjoyed, or talking to people in general. He tended to just be a happy-go-lucky kid, and enthusiastic could sometimes be an understatement. “Yeah, I do. My sister and I watched The Lego Movie and she swore the ‘Everything is Awesome’ song was written by me. I don’t really think everything is awesome, though. I promise I’m not one of those weirdos who thinks that things are always great all the time and nothing’s ever bad.” He gave Harry an understanding nod. “Yeah, it would be really weird for me if Ange was far away. We’ve been close to each other most of our lives. It must be exciting to be moving to New York with your brother… even if it’s not at all like Florida. There are really nice beaches in New York, but it’s way too cold a lot of the time to really go out into the water and stuff. When it is warm, though, they’re gorgeous. I don’t really blame you on the sports thing. I know a lot of people love them and find them exciting, but it never really did it for me, either. I guess that makes sense. Skiing and snowboarding can be really fucking dangerous, especially to your legs. I’ve never been scuba diving, but I’ve always thought it would be cool. Have you ever seen anything super interesting when you were scuba diving?” He really wanted Harry to feel comfortable, and he found that the best way to help people feel comfortable was to talk about things that they enjoyed and give them the chance to talk more about them.

“Yeah, Beau and Austin,” Ainsley agreed. “They’re really great guys, and Ange is a good friend of theirs. When Rosie got sick, she offered to carry their baby for them. He sounds really cute. So your cousin’s a lot older than you, too?” He shook his head with a low whistle, duly impressed with how much hard work Harry put into his dancing. “That’s a lot of work, but it sounds like you really love it. You do ballet and ballroom? Really? Who’s your dad’s cousin? I might know him. That makes sense, though. Everybody is different. Being a cop has sort of always been my dream because of my family.”

Harry wasn't feeling like much of anything was awesome right now. This heartbreak thing was shit, and he wasn't a fan of this understanding all the brokenhearted love songs thing. He just wished Tommy had talked to him about everything and not just cut him off, and had his friends treat him like shit. He didn't know what Tommy had told his friends, but they were saying nasty shit to Harry, so it must have been something. Unless his friends had accused Tommy of being gay, and he panicked and tried to act like a typical asshole jock to cover it up. Either way, it didn't excuse it and it left Harry feeling shitty. He was glad to be away from there because he had started to feel like throwing in the towel on everything was the answer so he wasn't teased. He was glad Nick stepped in and talked to him about it all. "I don't know about exciting... It's still all a bit weird. I don't know how much of a city person I am. There's lots of sirens and it smells weird. I think it'll take a lot of getting used to. There's lots of interesting things in the water. Snorkeling's fun for that too."

"It's got to be sad to lose a baby. I don't really know anyone who has. Not closely. But they thought Dani might when she was having Benny. They came through okay, though. Dani's the same age as Nicky. They were born the same year. She has a twin sister, and also an older sister, but she died awhile ago. It was hard losing a cousin, I don't know how it would feel to lose a brother or a sister." He nodded and shrugged all at the same time. He had always been a really modest kid. He would blush if he had attention when he wasn't dancing. He was effeminate and gay, sure, but he wasn't one of those fabulous bitchy gay guys, though he did know guys like that and adored them. "Ballet and ballroom is what I compete with. I also know other styles, but these are what I'm good at. Dad's cousin? Euan. He's just become a Captain here. He just got over cancer. He's a really great cop, so they say."

“Hopefully you come to like it and stick around,” Ainsley said, giving Harry a grin. “If you don’t, I’d understand, though. It’s how it was for me when we moved upstate. It wasn’t home to me, and it felt awkward and strange. It didn’t suit me at all. But I know lots of cool people our age if you’re looking for people to hang out with.” He wasn’t sure. Harry seemed sort of quiet, but everyone could use friends as far as Ainsley was concerned. Being quiet didn’t mean you didn’t want to have friends or people you could spend time with. It just meant you were quiet. “Have you been to Central Park yet? It’s kind of touristy, I guess, but it’s still really beautiful, and green. Even in the winter, I like it there. Did you ever see fish like Nemo and Dory when you were scuba diving? I’ve only seen them in tropical fish shops and stuff like that, but they’re gorgeous. I like things with bright colors. I also have a strange affinity for Disney movies that may be a little overdone for a kid my age, but Justin Campbell named his puppy after Dory, so I’m in pretty damn good company. He’s a freaking super star.” He gave Harry a warm smile.

“Yeah, I would think so, too,” Ainsley agreed. “It’s gotta be hard being pregnant, too. I know Ange has to take vitamins and stuff, and she has to go to doctors regularly to make sure that she and the baby are okay. She doesn’t mind, though, because she loves Austin and Beau, and she’s glad that she can do something special to help them have the family they want. Your cousin works with Justin’s dad, right? She’s an attorney? That’s really cool. That’s awful about your cousin, though. Losing someone you love would probably be the hardest thing ever. If I lost Ange, I don’t know what I’d do. It’s come close to happening before. She’s… She’s been in some really dangerous situations. It’s her job, but it’s hard.” He was quiet for a moment, because his sister was probably the most important person in the world to him, and losing her would have been the hardest thing in the world for him to imagine. “Wow. That’s a lot of hard work, but it’s pretty great that you found something you love and you’re really good at. Euan Fitzpatrick is your dad’s cousin? He’s my sister’s boss.”

Harry nodded, but he wasn't committing himself to anything. When Nick had suggested he come back to stay with him here in New York, for a few months as a trial basis, Harry had jumped at the chance. Though, a lot of it had been because he was hurting and he didn't want to face the people being cruel to him in school. It was only that isolated bunch of jocks being assholes, but if Tommy was completely denying anything ever happened together, it could be only a matter of time before other people who Harry even considered friends began to believe that just because he was gay, he was desperately throwing himself at the most popular kid in school. It hadn't been like that at all. In fact, Tommy had instigated the whole thing because Harry never knew he was gay before. He had told Harry that he was the only person he could be himself with. But not, Tommy could go get his ass flayed in a fire for all he cared. It hurt too much to have sympathy for his situation. He laughed a little at that. "No, I didn't quite take a wrong turn and end up in Australia. I did hear that about Justin, though. My cousin works with his dad, and she told me on Skype one day how Justin brought his puppy to the office one day. He takes her with him most places. There are actually fanpages online for her already."

Up on the stage, the Johnny Castle guy started to rehearse with a girl that came on stage. It was either Baby or Baby's understudy, because Harry spotted the dance routine a mile off. It was the Hungry Eyes scene, and he couldn't help but sit and watch, fixated on how the guy was dancing. Logan broke away from talking to Nick for a few minutes and he was standing up behind the girl, coaching her much like the movie scene. 'Do it, do it. Hotter than the movie, I want the audience coming in their seats. Kyan, more smoulder, think about Autumn. Look at her like you want to bury your face in her boobs,' Logan insisted. Harry snorted in amusement then, but quickly put his hand over his mouth so no one up on stage heard it. Clearly, he was still only a 15 year old teenage boy at heart. Logan then moved Baby out of the way and took her place with Kyan. This was early stages of rehearsing with this particular number. Harry could just tell by the pace Logan was going at so Kyan could start to memorize the choreography. "Yeah, that's him. Euan's pretty badass, but he's way cool. So, I have extended family here too. It'll be fine, I'm not really worried about the being here."

"Well, you said you've traveled, so I didn't know if maybe you'd been to Australia before," Ainsley said with a shrug and a silly grin. "And actually, I wasn't even really thinking about them being from Australia, even if I should've been, because the address where they went to find Nemo was in Sydney. Either way, I'm sure you've still seen some really cool stuff. I heard about the Dory fanpages. She's fucking adorable, and really tiny. If I had a puppy that small, I'd constantly be afraid of someone stepping on her or something. But it's totally cute. She knows Justin's her boy, and that her job is to take care of him. It's the sweetest thing. His boyfriend, Will, says sometimes, she smooshes in between them when they're lying together. One of Justin's fans tweeted him to ask if he was going to make an official Twitter for Dory." He laughed at that, becuase they'd all had a good giggle at it. What would a puppy tweet anyway?

Ainsley's eyes followed Harry's up to the stage to watch Logan guiding Kyan, and Louise, who was playing Baby. They did have quite a bit of chemistry, which was totally acting, because Kyan was dating Justin's co-star from Footloose... hence Logan's instruction to think of her. And Harry wasn't the only one who couldn't quite hold back a laugh at that. "Kyan's really nice," Ainsley said with a big smile. "Actually, the whole cast is. Caden, the producer for this show, and Footloose, he runs a tight ship, and has done ever since Justin had some trouble with one of the guys in the cast. He was really awful, and ever since then, Caden has been REALLY tight on who he lets into the productions, and everyone's on a trial. In a way, though, he sort of grows his own talent. He brings people in when they're new... Doesn't really go for huge names that everyone knows. And it usually works out really well that way. His casts are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet on Broadway." Turning back to Harry, Ains tilted his head thoughtfully. "So are you worried about something else, then?"

"I have travelled. All around Europe. When Nicky was there for college, I went over and stayed with him for a month in the summer and we went all over the place. I haven't been to Australia, though. It's supposed to be awesome. Travelling's pretty fun, but it can be exhausting. I don't know how people do it all the time. I've always loved home, so I never really wanted to get away from it all the time...." Until now. Despite the fact it was a lot of upsetting things that got him away from Florida, it was still home. Harry would miss it. He was going to be homesick. He didn't really know yet how he would go here, but it would probably be easier if he could get back into dance as soon as possible because that was what kept him balanced. He had been doing it so long, it was part of him. But would it all be very different here? He was scared, he just didn't want to admit that out loud. "I guess everyone would be super careful because Justin would probably kill them if they hurt his pup. I would if someone hurt mine. Not that I have one. We have a big dog, but she's and adult."

He was still watching the dancing, mostly the technique, if he was honest. They were professional dancers up there, and Broadway actors. It was fascinating to Harry to watch. "I only know of Caden because of Casper. I watched his show ever week without fail. At least, until he was hurt and had to take a break. The chick that took his place until he comes back is boring as all hell. I haven't been watching it. I'm looking forward to seeing Footloose. I've never been to a Broadway show. Not even Maggie's. The times I've come up here to visit Nicky, they took me to dance performances. When I was overseas, I got to see Baryshnikov perform. It was..." He just shook his head, still being rendered speechless by it. He looked at Ainsley, meeting his gaze. "I'm a teenager. Isn't there always something else to worry about?"

“Justin talks about it a lot. His whole family went last time they were there, and his little sister was super excited to go to the zoo. I want to pet a koala. I think they’re super cute, even though Justin says they’re mean if you mess with them in the wild. Then again, I think most animals in the wild are probably like that to some extent if they get disturbed. I wouldn’t be a big fan of being disturbed by a random human if I was busy trying to live my life of cute and cuddly eucalyptus eating fun times,” he joked with a smirk of amusement. Still, he was pretty sure he could understand traveling being exhausting. He was one of those people who would go go go until he dropped over from exhaustion. It was just his way. It usually didn’t hit him that things were tiring until it was much later and it had hit him head on. He found himself wondering what Harry was doing here if he loved Florida so much and didn’t want to leave. “Oh, yeah. Nobody better hurt Dory on Justin’s watch. She’s his baby. He loves her to bits. It’s really sweet to see, and she’s a huge help for him on his bad days. It’s amazing just how much help she really is to him and his family when it comes to dealing with his mental illness.”

“Casper’s show is great. I haven’t watched it since he got hurt, but he and Caden are a really sweet couple, however unlikely. People never would’ve seen them together, but they work really well. They’re a sweet couple. I’m with you, though. I can’t watch Casper’s show run by anyone who isn’t Casper. He’s just hilarious, and nobody else quite lives up to how much he rocks it. Broadway shows are really fun to watch, but if you do ballet, it makes sense for you to see ballet shows instead. I’ve never been to a ballet before. Except when I was a little kid and my mom took me to see The Nutcracker. Which I thought was pretty cool.” He gave him a nod of understanding. “Yeah, you’re right about that. There’s definitely always something to worry about. School’s rough, and so is teenagering.”

"I don't think you can keep them as pets, can you? I guess they're in zoos and stuff, but I think they'd be happier in the environment they're supposed to live in. This is why I find going to zoos hard. I know they're bred like that, but it still seems kind of unfair to the animals. In saying that, I love Seaworld, so maybe I'm a hypocrite. I don't know. I swam with the dolphins once, and it was the coolest thing I've ever done. They're so friendly and they talk to you. The things they can learn blow me away. I always said I wanted to train dolphins when I grew up and be a dancer at the same time. Not like that was ever going to happen, because science is probably the one subject I'm really bad at with school," Harry said with a shrug. He considered himself an animal person, but it had more been a liking for marine life. Dolphins were his favourite animals and seals and penguins a close second. "I've heard about therapy pets. I even saw this story about a nursing home for old people, they kept chickens and the elderly people with dementia would take care of them and nurse them and pet them, and it helped with their own condition. It was amazing."

He bit his lip somewhat self-consciously when the concept of opposites attracting came up. He had thought he might be one of those people who could make that work, but that turned out to be more pain than it was worth. He was regretting losing his virginity to Tommy now, and it wasn't a nice feeling to be carrying around. It was why he subtly skipped over that subject when it came up just now. "I like all dance. We go to The Nutcracker every year, like a tradition. I can't wait to see Footloose, and now I want to see this too. I didn't expect to be here at all, just Nicky knows Logan, so... I mean, I once nearly got a role on Broadway, but my folks thought I was too young for that commitment at the time. I might have been able to pull off the acting thing when I was younger, but not now."

"No, I don't think so, either," Ainsley said. "I wouldn't want one as a pet. Just to pet one... Or like... rub its belly or something. They're ridiculously adorable. But I can definitely get what you mean. I mean, like, a lot of zoos don't keep the animals in climates that are natural to them. So you have polar bears and penguins in tropical heat and stuff. It doesn't really seem fair to take an animal out of its natural home and put it somewhere that it's going to be uncomfortable, sometimes even to the point of danger. I've heard good and bad things about Seaworld, so I can't really judge on that. I've always thought it would be cool to go, though. Killer whales are really cool, too. You swam with dolphins? Seriously? That's so cool." There was nothing quite like an excited teenager to get the emphatic side going hardcore. "I didn't know they talked to you. That's really freaking cool." He paused, nodding along as Harry talked about therapy animals. "Totally! I think it's awesome how the love and care of an animal can make such a difference. You can definitely see that with Justin and Dory, too."

"Do you watch Dancing With the Stars or is that one of those things that real dancers don't really watch?" Ainsley asked. He liked watching the show, but he didn't want to come off like the American weirdos who met a person from the UK and named the only person they knew of from the UK, usually a member of the royal family. But he did get enjoyment from watching dance, and while he wasn't a dancer himself, he wanted Harry to know that he did appreciate it as the art form and hard work that it was. "I really liked The Nutcracker. I remember it. I wasn't very old, but I remember thinking it was mesmerizing to watch. Is acting just not your thing? What show did they offer you a role in?"

"Nicky said he and Dani took Benny to the zoo one time and he cried through the whole thing because they were in cages. He didn't understand why they were. But he's only three. Just goes to show you that not all kids like the zoo. He loves the ducks and swans in the Park, though. When my family came up earlier this year for a visit, he had a ball in the Park. But I've done a lot of those sorts of sea-related activity. We're so close to it all in Florida, so I've grown up with it. It's fun. I love the beach so much. I hope they have some nice ones where, but I can tell from the photos they're not really the same as back home," Harry said with a small shrug. Not to sound like a beach snob either. He was just used to wha the grew up with.

He nodded. "Sure, I watch. I think it's pretty cool when celebrities want to learn how to do ballroom dancing like that. It's not easy, and they have to learn all the main styles in a pretty short space of time. I respect them for that. I'm not really a dance snob. I don't sit there critiquing other people's styles in my head awhile I watch them. I just like watching and like the fact they're giving it a go. Plus, it's for charity, which is always a good thing. Not sure I like the judges sometimes, though. Some of their comments are just stupid, like they're reaching to critique something. Nope, not at all an actor. I don't really remember the lines and I get stage fright. Same with public speaking. It was Billy Elliot. I came up and auditioned for it, but beyond that, I do think I was too young and not ready for it."

"I guess all kids are different,"Ains agreed. "I can see how that would be hard for a little person to understand, too. Having animals caged up can't be the nicest way for them to be kept, and you hear all sorts of sad things about their standard of living. I mean, I guess if you're used to living in the wild, and then you have to live in a cage, that would be really crappy. There are nice beaches around here. I'm sure it's not the same, and it's certainly not going to be as warm as you're used to this time of year, but they're nice. I don't really know how the surfing is, because I've never really done it, but I know that the beaches are really nice, and a lot of them are private and really peaceful." He loved New York with all his heart, but he could understand coming from Florida beaches to New York beaches would be a hell of a change. He didn't blame Harry for not being quite sure of how he felt about the beaches here.

"I'm always amazed at how well some of them manage to pull off these gorgeous routines without royally screwing them up. I mean, like you said, they're celebrities, but they're not all dancers, and usually none of them have done ballroom dance in the past. It's really fun to watch. I don't know how to do ballroom dance, but it looks beautiful. I was really glad that Bindi won this season. She seems like such a sweetheart, and after all she's been through, she really deserved it. What is your favorite style of ballroom? It's really cool to watch. Do you get stage fright with dancing, too, or just with acting and trying to remember lines? How old were you when you auditioned?" Ainsley asked curiously.

Harry's phone was vibrating in his pocket with a string of text messages. He had been trying to ignore it, but it started to bug him. He took it out to check who it was. It was one of his friends from back home asking about the rumour that he wasn't coming back to Florida and wanting to know why. He just hit delete on all of them and then flicked over to turn the Facebook notifications off because he was sick of them too. He put his phone back in his pocket. "Benny's an absolute Disney nut, so his ideal of animals probably comes from there. He's too young to be given a hard dose of reality about the whole thing. He still has no idea that it's mio zio Angelo who dresses up as Santa, even if it's his nonno. Our house backs right onto the beach. You walk out our back gate and it's onto the sand."

"Those TV shows make it look easy, but it's crazy hard for people who have never danced before. Not just dancing, but conditioning," he explained. He had just been doing it so long now that he was used to it and couldn't imagine not having dance in his life. "Rumba's my favourite. Probably because it was the hardest to learn, so it's always been the most rewarding to perfect. But I want to dance it with a guy. Actually, I would really love one day to have a permanent male ballroom dancing partner and same-sex couples be just as normal as straight couples in dance competitions. That's a far off wish, though. It's not going to happen any time soon. Competitive dance has been about the male and female partnering for so long. There are some smaller competitions just for same-sex couples, though. Which is awesome. But the very basis of ballroom is the male leads the female. I've always made sure to learn both. I don't mind being led. No, I don't get stage fright with dancing unless I haven't prepared. In which case, it's my own fault anyway. I was ten when I auditioned for it. By the time the show started, I would've been eleven."

“Not gonna lie,” Ainsley admitted with a grin. “I’m a bit of a Disney nut myself. Lady and the Tramp was my favorite as a kid. Even though when I was really little I thought they were saying Lady and the Shrimp, and I didn’t understand why they were calling the dog a shrimp.” He shook his head playfully. “Ignore me. Clearly I was a weird kid. I think it’s really sweet, though. When kids are little and still have that innocence to them.” He did, too. Though he really had no idea just how much innocence he still had himself. Ainsley was one of those kids who thought he was truly prepared for the real world. He wanted to be a cop, and he thought he was ready for the things he would face as one, but if he truly faced a lot of it, he’d probably be torn apart by it. “If I ever have kids, I hope they believe in Santa for a really long time. It’s just… Kids need magic. Especially little ones.”

“I can’t imagine. It has to take a long time to even be in shape enough to pull some of those dances off. I used to watch and think, ‘I could do that!’ but the more I watch, the more I realize just how much they don’t really show on the camera. It’s a lot of work to learn how to dance like that, and like you said, it’s not just the dancing you have to do, either.” He had to smile a little at Harry’s dream of being able to compete some day with a male partner. The truth was, Ainsley would love to do some of those amazing, beautiful dances that he saw on Dancing With the Stars with Harry someday, which was a really big thing to be thinking right now, and he was glad he wasn’t saying it out loud, because it was one of those things that could scare the fuck out of someone if there was no proper warning about it. But he knew he couldn’t dance for shit. The most he could do was slow dance in the traditional, arms around each other and swaying slowly way. He didn’t know why his mind was moving so fucking fast, but it wasn’t slowing down, and he knew he was going to have to make it, or he was really going to be overwhelming… and maybe a little bit creepy. “Wow. You’ve been dancing a long time. When I was ten, I think I was still making mud pies and putting whoopie cushions in people’s seats.”

"The Little Mermaid and Finding Nemo were mine. At the moment, Benny loves Fantasia. He likes the older ones more than the more recent computer animated stuff. I think he might grow up like Nicky and be an artist. That's probably one of the best things about coming up here, getting to hang out with Benny more. He's the youngest in our whole family. Mom keeps joking to Nicky about when he's going to give her a grandchild, but she's not serious. Nicky's not even really dating at the moment. I mean, maybe he is, but I don't really get the whole situation. It's a bit weird. Nicky doesn't seem happy anyway, so I hope he can find someone who does so he can have kids like he wants to one day. Christmas is always huge in our family, wherever it is. Even if most of us know Santa isn't real, my uncle still dresses up as Santa and we all have a good laugh," Harry said with a smile, because family was everything to him. Family and dance, it was his whole world.

He snorted in amusement with a very emphatic nod. "I can assure anyone, what you see on that show of them practising and rehearsing, it's about 0.2% of what actually goes into learning a dance. They'd have to probably be working twelve-plus hours a day for a week to dance how they do. It takes me ages to learn a new routine. Even doing a routine you know, you still have to rehearse a lot leading up to performing it, or you forget steps, you can fall out of turns if you haven't corrected your timing and blocking correctly to dance in the space the venue has on offer. Not all stages are the same size, not all dance studios are. Then there is always a risk of technology failing and music skipping or stopping. There might be wardrobe malfunctions. It looks easy and it looks fabulous, but it's really hard work." He smirked at Ainsley at his comment. "Don't get me wrong, I still had a typical childhood. My parents wouldn't have let me not."

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"Had it been another day, I might have looked the other way..."

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